I was unemployed for over two years in the late 90s. It really gets you down and you feel a complete lack of confidence. It had got to a point where I would spend my week just watching tv and doing little else - apart from signing on. Eventually I had to tell myself that I couldn't go on like this and that I had to get my life back on track.

I thought that the gap in my career would look bad and in the first couple of interviews I went to it came up and I didn't perform well. This got me really down and I was close to giving up.

Then one of my friends suggested that I come along and help out at a working farm on the other side of town. It was really enjoyable and helped to boost my confidence. I found that I could work in a team and I was capable of making a difference. I spent more and more time at the farm and was taking on lots of responsibility.

After about six months I decided that I was definitely good enough to get a job. With my CV showing six months experience and a renewed confidence I found I had plenty to talk about at the job interviews I went to and performed so much better. I managed to start work soon after and have never looked back and never had an extended period of unemployment since.

I found volentary work was a great way of not only helping others but also helping myself.

Glad to hear you got things sorted. I know someone who hasn't worked since the late 80s. Personally I think there should be both more incentives for getting back into work but also getting back to work should be induced by making unemployment benefit more conditional on either quality training or forced employment.

I agree - volunteering is the way to go . The are so many organisation willing to take people on, both for internships within business and charity volunteering roles. I think the most important thing is to be able to demonstrate skills and experience. that's what employers care about, not so much about how much / whether you were getting paid for it.

When I became unemployed, I felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water all over me. I was in a very good job that I lost. But I did not lose hope and finally got a good job as a manager. I think maintaining a positive outlook is very important because a positive outlook will motivate positive action. Tell yourself that it will be OK and do the things that will make you happy and you will be OK.

I think that is a good point Carol. I know there are a lot of people at the moment who are losing their jobs, including a number of my friends but I guess we all have to remember that although the economy is bad at the moment and going through hard times, it will eventually get better.

It must be really demotivating if you are out of work for a long time but if you are able to stay positive and motivated then when things in the economy do get better or you get lucky and find something before things get better then you will be in a good position to get a new job.

My friends tell me that they are using the internet to keep in with what's going on in the sectors they work in and therefore they do not lose touch with their industry. That way when they go for interview they have shown motivation and they are not out of touch with what's going on.